[Jadehawk]

Ahem! Hey all!
Need some help here if a kind soul would help with my question above. Should I add more smoothing as mentioned?

Thanks!

Also....I have been working on a Multi-purpose Transport Hauler. This large ship is tasked in transporting over sized objects such as parts of a Station, Ship hulls parts, large containers, even damaged ships etc.

It can also be a Gas Miner with the attached processing facilities that the gas containers attach too. This is the current configuration it's in now. I'll post shots of it when I get home today.

[lostllama]

Transport and logistical/utility ships are kind of rare. It's nice that someone's attempting to make one, I'm looking forward to the pictures.

[bobbtmann]

I would clean it up before using another smoothing modifier. Then after you the smooth the mesh, clean it up again. Look for areas that have geometry that isn't being used to define anything. Pretty much every vertex should describe a change in the shape.

When I make my models, I make an extremely blocky version, to get the shape right. I spend quite a while on it, and it doesn't have many polygons in it (<500, like). No triangles, however. I save a copy, and that will become LODx in the future. Then apply my smooth modifier.

Then I clean it up again. Rounded parts keep their extra detail, flat areas lose them. At this point I'm still avoiding triangles. Here I'll start adding the more subtle changes in shape that couldn't be describe in the pre-smooth version.

After that, I smooth it again. Then I clean it up, this time introducing triangles wherever they won't screw with smoothing too much. Mostly flat areas. Then I move on to turrets and greebles and whatever.

I'm not really a detail-phile, so most of my finished models don't exceed 25 000 polygons. I'm a gestalt kind of guy, more interested in the overall shape rather than finicky details, so my taste may differ than yours. I guess I would caution against adding polygons just for the sake of adding polygons.

[Jadehawk]

Thank you for the informative reply bobbtmann! This ia exactly what I need to hear. I can see as I build my models, I'm starting to get frustrated with the difficulty if managing the polys. Your description really give me a basic guide in what I should be doing. So thanks for the reply! 

[Luis Dias]

Ok....So.....I need to ADD more smoothing to this ship? More smoothing will add more polys I know. Currently it's at 10060 faces, and 56 objects which I think means polys and I was trying my damnest to keep the poly count down while cleaning it up in the process. 

Ahem, wait. I was only mentioning the sharp profile line as seen in your top view of the ship, namely the four axe shaped things. Only the profile line needs more smoothing. You already have vertices in the left portion that aren't contributing to the smoothing of this line, and by multiplying the vertices of these lines by two, I think you'll get a very smoothing look to your ship, and you'll be adding like 40-100 faces top.

[Jadehawk]

Ahhhh..ok good and thanks for the clarification on that too. 
Glad I kept multi copies of my work as while applying the smooth function, it does make the whole ship really nice.....but the poly count and faces scream out OHHHHH NOOOO! TOO MUCH! 

As for my Multi-Purpose Transport hauler, I'm redoing the ship as I borked it up!  It all started when I for the 3rd time tried to make a front end of the ship that I like and also the shape to be functional as well. In the process I "forgot" to save as and well....oops.  No body's perfect!

However, the interface attachment structure and the gas collection spheres are fine. I'll add the containers in another version and a large liquid container for a 3rd one.

Stay tuned! 

[Luis Dias]

Yeah, sure, the smooth function is *not* supposed to be used in these kinds of things, ahahah! But it's entertaining to see the vertice count shoot up, sure .

I'm sorry that you lost some work there. The ship is very nice!

[Jadehawk]

Thanks! I'll get to the Cruiser soon! 
Here are some images of the Multi Purpose Transport Hauler I made. Note in the exploded view, you see the 4 gas collection tanks connected to the gas collector and processing facility which then is connected to the Transport Hauler.

Yeah way too many Polys and that front end I'm not so hot about. 
So....back to the drawing board and see what happens.

[Luis Dias]

Hm. In 3DSmax, there is a command (don't remember what exactly, I only remember that it exists and that I've used it in the past) that has the ability to optimize face count. IDK about Wings, though.

The new ship is somewhat bland, without great amount of interest. Consider, for future self-criticism, that the blandness of canon vasudan ships is primordially due to the limitations of the hardware and software of the nineties. With more freedom, you can do more interesting things.

But I can be more specific. I like the idea of the spheres, but not so much the shape that holds them together. The ship itself is almost symmetrical (the stern and the bow). I've noticed that this is the way you run (the other ship was also slightly symmetrical). Perhaps with some more things "happening" in the hull, it gets better.

I like the middle of it. It transpires a sense of scale, by its rythm.

[Goober5000]

It transpires a sense of scale, by its rhythm.

  This is a very odd sentence.

[Thaeris]

The man means to say, or so I believe, that the form of the ship (its rhythm) about its center section inspires a sense of scale. I for one actually like the means by which he makes his statement.

[Black Wolf]

Sorry Jadehawk, not a fan of this latest one. It seems very dull by comparison to the previous ships, and (arbitrary though it my be) I don't like the idea of spherical cargo containers. They just seem like they'd be iconvenient if they were ever in a gravitational field, although that could potentially be fixed if there was some sort of cubic framework around them.

That said, if you want to make a model based around a gas tank, I've actually got one made, and released as part of the modular stuff and designed to mimic the refinery - I'm planning on doing my own gas hauler based around this model (It's already modelled, actually, just need to get around to texturing it), but if you wanted to also use it as some kind of base unit for designing cargo slots around, that'd be really, really cool.

[EDIT]Meant to include a pic:

[Goober5000]

Sorry Jadehawk, not a fan of this latest one. It seems very dull by comparison to the previous ships, and (arbitrary though it my be) I don't like the idea of spherical cargo containers. They just seem like they'd be inconvenient if they were ever in a gravitational field, although that could potentially be fixed if there was some sort of cubic framework around them.

Spherical containers are used everywhere, especially in the aerospace and chemical industry.  A sphere maximizes volume while minimizing surface area, which is useful for many applications, in particular storing cryogenic fluids:



And you forget that spherical frameworks are usually stronger than orthogonal frameworks, because they distribute loads better.  It's why bridges use arches for spanning long distances.

[Black Wolf]

I know, hence why I said it was arbitrary - irrational might have been a better word. Truth be told I've played with spherical containers in FS before, but I never found any way of doing them that I liked - Jadehawk may potentially do better, of course.

[bobbtmann]

There are many many edges you could get rid of. I've highlighted some of the obvious ones that could be deleted without any loss whatsoever. There a lot of longitudinal lines that could go as well, maybe every second one around the fuselage?

The only thing about the spheres is how they integrate with the rest of the ship. They feel stuck on, if that makes any sense. It's like they're there, but they're not really a part of the model.

[attachment deleted by ninja]

[Dragon]

Maybe because they are stuck on.
They're containers, hopefully detachable.
Multidocking is no longer a problem.

[bobbtmann]

Maybe because they are stuck on.
They're containers, hopefully detachable.
Multidocking is no longer a problem.

I meant in sculptural sense. Integrating the different elements of a sculpture or ship, so that the piece looks visually unified.

[Jadehawk]

Hi Fellas,
First, thanks to everyone for replying back 
Goober had the reason why I used Spheres as my Real life background is in the Aviation field and have known the virtues of their strengths. I used them for the Gas collections for this very reason. However, I also had in mind to use different designs for different purposes as well. Yes they are currently stuck on as the attach point structures are not even modeled yet.
The processing facility collects the Nebula gasses, processes them and divides the gasses and sends them to the proper tank for collecting. depending on the gas type, it can also be further processed into a Liquid form as well. Sometimes when you condense a gas into a liquid form, you increase the amount that can be carried. but that also poses it's own problems depending on what gas is being liquefied.
I also wanted this to carry out sized cargo and all that I already mentioned.

Regardles, I AM redoing this ship from scratch as I found some problems that will take longer to fix than if I started over. One is what bobbtmann explained and I wish to avoid that if I can next.  SO thanks for the helps fellas, I'll be back later on with a update on this and the Cruiser as well. 

[Luis Dias]

The man means to say, or so I believe, that the form of the ship (its rhythm) about its center section inspires a sense of scale. I for one actually like the means by which he makes his statement.

Thanks .